2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: common problems

Owners of the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 filed 302 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and structure. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 302
involving a crash: 8

What fails most often

1 Air bags 27% of all complaints
2 Structure 25% of all complaints
3 Engine 11% of all complaints
4 Suspension 7% of all complaints
5 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
6 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
7 Steering 3% of all complaints
8 Visibility 3% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Air bags: 83 complaints (27% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 75 complaints (25% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engine: 33 complaints (11% of all).
Suspension: 21 complaints (7% of all).
Powertrain: 13 complaints (4% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 302 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

rust, corrosion65 · 22%
warning lights, check engine22 · 7%
knocking, grinding or other noise11 · 4%
airbag warning light10 · 3%
windows, sunroof8 · 3%
smoke, burning smell, fire7 · 2%
oil leak or consumption6 · 2%
A/C or heater5 · 2%
door locks, latches, handles5 · 2%
loss of power / limp mode5 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	83	5
Structure	75	3
Engine	33	0
Suspension	21	0
Powertrain	13	0
Electrical system	11	0
Steering	10	1
Visibility	8	0
Service brakes	5	1
Vehicle speed control	5	0
Seat belts	4	1
Wheels	4	1
Engine and cooling	2	0
Exterior lighting	2	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, another vehicle lost control and crashed into the contacts front end side of the vehicle but the air bags did not deploy. 2 persons was injured which required medical attention. The contact sustained back and neck injuries. A police report was filed.
Air bags · crash · 2021-03-01 · NHTSA complaint #11398536
Also the service air bag warning light was flashing on my dash board. None of the factory air bags deployed during the front end collision!!!
Air bags · crash · 2016-01-23 · NHTSA complaint #10821876
Trying to turn in driveway at home, pickup truck surged ahead, causing head-on collision with fire hydrant, steering wheel locked up, seatbelt locked up, doors would not unlocked. My wife sustained numerous injuries. Complained to insurance company to no avail.
Steering · crash · 2015-04-30 · NHTSA complaint #10713925
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was an independent dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 72,000. It was later discovered upon checking the Carfax report that the mileage was 268,000.
Electrical system · 2026-10-27 · NHTSA complaint #11773914
If driven, the frame is at risk of snapping completely in half, which would cause an immediate, catastrophic loss of steering, suspension control, and braking on public roads, risking a fatal crash for the occupants and nearby drivers.
Structure · 2026-07-23 · NHTSA complaint #11752287
Due to General Motors AFM lifter defect and oil consumption issues that have been proven faulty, #4 AFM gave out on us in February of 2026 costing us approximately $5,000 in Engine repairs on our 2013 Chevrolet Silverado plus several tow bills and the inconvenience of not having a vehicle for weeks.
Engine · 2026-04-06 · NHTSA complaint #11729338
No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was adding engine oil every 3,000 miles. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found.
Steering · 2026-02-06 · NHTSA complaint #11716199
The truck lost power, starred sputtering and misfiring. I shut the engine down, restarted and was able to drive it home. This same issue occurred a couple more times but each time it was restarted it drove okay.
Engine · 2026-01-21 · NHTSA complaint #11712414

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

201511
201624
201735
201832
201923
202032
202137
202216
202342
202429
202512
20269

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 1,337 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Silverado 1500 has 534 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 302, below average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, structure, engine. Total complaints: 302. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (22%), warning lights, check engine (7%), knocking, grinding or other noise (4%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2013 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.